Where Islam spreads, freedom dies

Racist actions and threats fell in France last year (-7% compared to 2010), but anti-Muslim racism (sic) exploded (+33.6%) according to the annual report of the Commission nationale consultative des droits de l'Homme [National Consultative Commission on Human Rights].

..."There is a growing rejection of everything that relates to Muslims and Islam," explains Marc Leyenberger, member of the Commission nationale consultative des droits de l'homme. "There are threats and provocations against Muslims, but there are also actions against persons and property: vandalism against mosques or profanation of cemeteries. All that already existed in previous years, but the number has increased considerably in 2011".

For Sabrina Goldman, executive delegate of LICRA (Ligue internationale contre le racisme et l'antisémitisme) [International League Against Racism and Antisemitism], this brutal increase in anti-Muslim racism is explained by the political climate of recent months: "We are seeing unabashed racism from opinion formers or government representatives. Now all social phenomena are explained in relation to people's origins or religion. I see truly the extent to which that is having effects on the lives of ordinary people. People are no longer afraid of being racist in everyday life."